Call for giving right of way to emergency vehicles

Fines for committing traffic violations, especially obstructing emergency vehicles and ambulances, should be enhanced and implemented to save the lives of people being transported to hospitals in critical condition, said Minister for Works and Services Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.

Speaking at an awareness session organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross in collaboration with Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) and SZABIST at JPMC auditorium on Monday, Shah said that as the transport minister, he introduced the bill to give right of way to emergency vehicles and ambulances in the previous provincial assembly, and it was passed unanimously because all political parties and members knew the importance of the bill. “Now it is the responsibility of the traffic police to implement the laws regarding giving way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles,” he said.

Senior health and police officials, including JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali, Traffic DIG Javed Mahar, ICRC officials Reto Stocker and Najum Abbasi, SZABIST Vice President Dr Shoaib Mir and Sana Chaudhry also spoke on the occasion, while Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shalwani, DIG Javed Alam Odho and other government officials as well as a large number of senior doctors, surgeons and healthcare providers attended the session.

Minister Shah maintained that although enforcement of laws could only be possible through the law-enforcement agencies, creating awareness among drivers and the general public was also very important as without people’s cooperation, no laws could be implemented effectively. He urged the media to play its role in the dissemination of information about giving way to ambulances and emergency vehicles on the roads.

“Saving a life is equal to saving entire humanity and every person should know that it could be their family member also in the ambulance whose lights are flashing and siren screaming for the clearance of the road as every second is critical in saving a life,” he said, adding that there is no doubt that early transportation to healthcare facilities saves thousands of lives and organs of injured and sick people.

According to Shah, the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government was giving the utmost importance to the provision of healthcare facilities. He claimed PPP’s previous government enhanced the budget of JPMC from Rs700 million to Rs7,000 million. “Even the Chief Justice of Pakistan praised JPMC and healthcare facilities in Sindh although he hardly praises any provincial government,” the minister said.

ICRC Head of Delegation in Pakistan Reto Stocker said the delay of a few seconds can result in the loss of life if a patient is not shifted to healthcare facility on time and people should know what to do when an emergency vehicle or an ambulance is behind them.

He said creating awareness was immensely important and the media can play an important role in sensitising people about giving way to ambulances. “Not giving way to an ambulance in itself is a form of violence and such obstructions can spell the difference between life and death.”

Stocker maintained that ICRC, together with the government and its other partners, is committed to making healthcare in Pakistan safer for both patients and healthcare providers.

JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali said police and government officials who visit JPMC are themselves aware of the problems they and ambulances face in reaching the emergency department and urged both the government and traffic police to implement the amendments in motor-vehicle laws for timely transportation of patients to the hospital.

“There are four important hospitals on this road [Rafiqui Shaheed Road] alone but sometimes it takes hours for an ambulance to get to the hospital,” she said. “People need to be made aware of giving way to ambulances while laws should be implemented by the traffic authorities.”

Najum Abbasi, ICRC’s Head of Communication in Pakistan, said ICRC started working in 1947 when founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah invited it to establish camps and help migrants from India.

He added that since then their organisation had served the people of Pakistan in every natural or man-made calamity, ranging from wars to displacements, earthquakes to super floods and other disasters.

“At the moment, we are trying to save lives, working for the capacity building of healthcare providers and saving them from violence.”